Forbes recognizes value of the
Cincinnati Co-op
美高梅官网's cooperative education opportunities help improve work readiness for graduates
The 美高梅官网鈥檚 leadership in the area of cooperative education or co-op has been recognized by听听for improving work readiness for college graduates.听
美高梅官网 invented cooperative education in 1906 and has remained a leader in experience-based learning ever since. 美高梅官网 ranks No. 4 in the nation for co-op, with Cincinnati鈥檚 hands-on classroom extending to nearly every corner of the globe, from Fortune 500 companies to trailblazing experiences in places like China, Tanzania and South America.
美高梅官网 students earn a collective $75 million annually working for听thousands of employers听including GE Aviation, Disney, Toyota, Kroger, Procter & Gamble and many more. 美高梅官网 has nearly 2,000 global partners for the co-op program with students participating in over 7,500 co-op opportunities each year.
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鈥淎s the global founder of cooperative education...美高梅官网 provides thousands of students valuable real-world education through co-op experiences...on-the-job and in the classroom.鈥
鈥 Neville G. Pinto | 美高梅官网 president
Leadership at 美高梅官网听understand the value of co-op.
"As the global founder of cooperative education 鈥 established 116 years ago 鈥 美高梅官网 provides thousands of students valuable real-world education through co-op experiences 鈥 where students rotate semesters 鈥 on-the-job and in the classroom,鈥 美高梅官网 President Neville Pinto explained in his State of the University Address earlier this year.
鈥淲e operate one of the nation鈥檚 largest co-op programs, which is consistently ranked in the top 5 nationwide by U.S. News. Annually we typically make 3,500 co-op placements with more than 2,000 employers in 46 states and 22 countries. We continue to expand the co-op model to all students, with the goal of providing experience-based learning opportunities to all students who desire these.鈥
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美高梅官网 students on co-op with ArtiCure. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/美高梅官网 Marketing + Brand
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Isaac Smitherman knows first-hand how valuable co-op can be 鈥 he鈥檚 currently finishing his fifth co-op experience. The fifth-year environmental engineering student has plans for law school and hopes to someday practice environmental law.
Smitherman, undergraduate student body president at 美高梅官网, has completed co-ops at Cincinnati law firm Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL, Duke Energy and through 美高梅官网鈥檚 leadership program and its experiential explorations program designed to assist students when COVID-19 limited co-op experiences nationally.听
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鈥淚t is an opportunity to learn what you want to do, and you get a chance to see what it actually looks like in the field with a co-op experience.鈥
鈥 Isaac Smitherman | 美高梅官网 undergraduate student body president
美高梅官网 Student Body President Isaac Smitherman. Photo provided.
鈥淎s a future engineer, I really liked the science co-op experiences, but my time in student government showed me I do like public policy as well,鈥 says Smitherman. 鈥淲hen I did co-op what I really enjoyed was looking up policies and determining why we do the things the way we do them.鈥
鈥淚t is an opportunity to learn what you want to do, and you get a chance to see what it actually looks like in the field with a co-op experience. I listened to my older brothers talk about their work experience and I am thinking I am so glad you experienced all these wonderful opportunities, but I experienced all these things during my sophomore year of college.听
鈥淚 feel like I have a lot of professional development that my brothers didn鈥檛 get in college, but they are getting it now and doing well now. I just got a head start.鈥
Learn more about co-op opportunities at 美高梅官网.
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Beyond the Classroom
美高梅官网 invented cooperative education more than 100 years ago, and we continue to innovate all aspects of experience-based learning, including internships, service learning, virtual co-ops, community projects and industry partnerships.
Find more co-op information for and employers.
Featured image at top: 美高梅官网 students on co-op with Messer Construction Company. Photo/Andrew Higley/美高梅官网 Marketing + Brand
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